The Village of Bloomingdale revealed its redevelopment plans for the defunct Stratford Square Mall.
The municipality bought all five anchor pads piecemeal, plus the mall’s interior for $17.1 million, and demolition of the 1980s buildings was completed a little more than a year ago, the Daily Herald reported. Village officials are now working with Segovia Partners, Gravity Architecture & Design, Peak Construction Corporation and Christopher B. Burke Engineering on redevelopment plans.
The redeveloped retail center, called The Grove at Bloomingdale, will have 87 acres of open-air, pedestrian-oriented shopping with an artificial lake and event lawn. Renderings depict a walkable layout with restaurants, entertainment venues and retail connected by meandering paths with parking integrated close to activity areas.
The lawn is designed to host concerts, seasonal markets, games or even ice skating in winter, aiming to capture the nostalgia of the Stratford Square Mall but in a contemporary format.
CoStar News reported the whole center will have more than 400,000 square feet and will take five to seven years for construction.
The Grove at Bloomingdale signed its first tenant.
HB Investments, led by CEO Bill Gust, will operate a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports complex called Bloomingdale Yard, built on the model of the company’s other operations at Naperville Yard and Milwaukee Yard. The complex, slated to open in 2027 near a free-standing Kohl’s, will offer indoor fields, childcare, youth programs and adult recreation. Gust said he had eyed the location for years.
The Daily Herald also reported regional restaurateurs are looking at the venue, and an unnamed developer may build a 280-unit apartment complex as part of the project.
As for financing, the village is preparing to sell $52 million in bonds to fund infrastructure improvements, including the lake and public spaces set to break ground next year.
Bloomingdale Village President Franco Coladipietro said the project will try to replace the old mall concept with an “experience-first” appeal in the context of the Bloomingdale retail market.
— Joel Russell